Tennessee Genealogical Society Blog

Probate Records

10/17/2019

Probate is the process where an individual’s estate is distributed to his or her heirs, whether or not there is a will. As a result of this, various records are created such as wills, bonds, petitions, accounts, inventories, administrations, orders, decrees, and distributions. These records are valuable to genealogists since they provide a death date, information on residency, and most importantly, demonstrate relationships in a family.

If your ancestors owned land, which is common in rural areas, you will want to search for probate records. Probate records do exist for women, although they are not as numerous as the records for men. If a woman was single, widowed, or divorced, it is likely that she owned property that would have gone through the probate process when she died. When you cannot locate a probate record for your direct ancestor, try looking for probate records for that ancestor’s relatives.

A list of Tennessee wills has been published in the book “Index to Tennessee Wills and Administrations, 1779-1861” by Byron and Barbara Sistler. A copy of this book is available at the Germantown Regional History and Genealogy Center library. In addition, the Tennessee State Library and Archives will check the index by e-mail free of charge (https://sos.tn.gov/products/tsla/how-do-i-find-probate-records). Probate records dated after 1861 can be found in the records of each county. Contact the county courthouse clerk’s office for information on obtaining copies of probate records. At Ancestry.com there is a database titled “Tennessee Wills and Probate Records, 1779-2008.” This database is also available to Tennessee residents through TEL. There are also probate records available at FamilySearch.org in the following databases “Tennessee Probate Court Books, 1795-1927” and “Tennessee Probate Court Files, 1795-1927." However, these databases are only able to be browsed as images, they are not indexed. For assistance in locating the records using these two databases, it would be a good idea to have information on your ancestor’s probate record from the “Index to Tennessee Wills and Administrations” book mention above.

Death Records

10/16/2019

As with birth records, Tennessee did not start requiring statewide death certificates until 1908. The Tennessee Vital Records Office holds death records for 50 years. Death records from 1969 to the present can be obtained from the Tennessee Department of Health, Office of Vital Records. Restrictions and fees apply, so be sure to check the web site. TSLA has statewide Tennessee death records for the years 1908-1912 and 1914-1968. No death records were recorded at the state level in 1913. Copies of available records can be ordered from TSLA, with instructions found on this web page: Ordering Death Records. The Ancestry.com database “Tennessee, Death Records, 1908-1958“ contains images of death records. This database is also available to Tennessee residents through TEL, and the FamilySearch database “Tennessee Deaths, 1914-1966” also contains images.

Other places to look for death records include newspapers, bible records, funeral home records and cemetery records. Many county historical societies have published books listing local cemeteries and transcribing tombstone inscriptions.

Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis and Nashville all started recording deaths earlier than 1908. Later blogs will discuss records available for these cities.

Marriage Records

10/15/2019

Marriage records in Tennessee are primarily a county level record. Some Tennessee counties recorded and kept information on marriages in the early years of statehood, but not all. Beginning in 1838, counties were required to record marriages in bound record books. Information typically includes the date, the names of the bride and groom, the minister or justice of the peace, and, sometimes, the bondsman.

Many county historical societies have published books with extracts of local marriage records. Another invaluable resource is 35,000 Tennessee Marriage Records and Bonds: 1783 – 1870. This three volume reference, edited by the Rev. Silar Emmett Lucas, Jr. and Mrs. Ella Lee Sheffield, was published in 1991. And, of course, newspapers are another great source.

The Tennessee Vital Records Office holds marriage records for 50 years. Marriage records from 1969 to the present can be obtained from the Tennessee Department of Health, Office of Vital Records. Restrictions and fees apply, so be sure to check the web site. For a fee, TSLA can lookup many marriage records. See the page Ordering Marriage Records for more information on this service.

Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis and Nashville marriage records will be discussed in later blogs.

Delayed Birth Records

10/14/2019

Tennessee first began keeping statewide birth records in 1908, though some larger cities began before then. Someone born before that time needed proof of birth if they wanted to apply for a Social Security card or a passport or for legal matters. This proof of birth is provided by a delayed birth certificate which they or their representative could apply for. To obtain a delayed birth certificate, the applicant had to supply supporting evidence as to their birth; thus this certificate can provide even more information to a genealogist than a standard birth certificate:

If a married woman obtained a delayed birth certificate, both her maiden and married surnames will be on it.
There may be information on the parents’ birth or death dates, or even the names of the applicant’s children.
The certificate lists the supporting evidence, which may provide additional clues about the applicant and his or her relatives.
Sometimes the applicant’s death date is noted on the certificate.

Ancestry.com has a database containing these records: “Tennessee, Delayed Birth Records, 1869-1909." This database is also available to Tennessee residents through TEL.

When looking at these images online, remember to examine the next page. The example below is the first page (front of the document), but the next page (back of the document) also has important information.
Ancestry.com, Tennessee Delayed Birth Records

Birth Records

10/13/2019

Birth records from Robertson County, Tennessee retrieved from FamilySearch.org; Tennessee Births and Christenings, 1828-1939

Tennessee did not start keeping birth records until 1908, although some of the larger cities did keep earlier birth records: Nashville (beginning in 1881); Knoxville (beginning in 1881); Chattanooga (beginning in 1879); and Memphis (beginning in 1874). Later blogs will discuss records available for these cities.

The Tennessee Vital Records Office keeps birth records for 100 years; after that they are available for public access through the Tennessee State Library and Archives. Thus, TSLA has statewide Tennessee birth records for the years 1908-1912 and 1914-1918. No birth records were recorded at the state level in 1913; also, initial adoption was spotty. Copies of available records can be ordered from TSLA, with instructions found on this web page – Ordering Birth Certificates. Birth records from 1919 to the present can be obtained from the Tennessee Department of Health, Office of Vital Records. Restrictions and fees apply, so be sure to check the web site.

Other places to look for birth information are the Tennessee Births and Christenings, 1828-1939 index available at Family Search, as well as newspapers and bible records.

Tax Lists

10/12/2019

1838 Tipton County Tax List

Tax lists are another great census substitute, especially for the early years of Tennessee statehood. White males, age 21 and older, paid an annual poll tax for the privilege of voting. Thus, tax lists provide proof of residence and establish a minimum age. They are also useful in identifying spelling variants of surnames. Some tax lists include information on acreage or other assets, providing information on the person’s financial circumstances. Some tax lists also indicate if the individual owned slaves.

Tax lists are compiled by civil districts, so they can be used to track the movements of an individual both within a county and between counties. Cathy L’Altrelli has an article in Ansearchin News, Vol 66 No 1 2019, entitled “Asbells, Intermarried Families & Neighbors: Migration from Lawrence Co., TN in the 1830’s”, that is an excellent example of using tax lists to trace family migration. James L. Douthat has also published a series 1836 Tennessee Civil Districts and Tax Lists, by county, that includes the 1835 law establishing the civil districts, a description of the layout of the districts in the county (along with a map), and tax lists by districts for the years 1836 – 1839, where available.

Ancestry.com has a database containing many of the Tennessee tax lists: “Tennessee, Early Tax List Records, 1783-1895.” This database is also available to Tennessee residents through TEL

Federal Census Records and Census Substitutes

10/11/2019

1790: No Tennessee records remain for this Territorial Census. The Ancestry.com database “1770-1790 Census of the Cumberland Settlements” can be used as a substitute records for these early settlers.

1800: No Tennessee records remain for this federal census.

1810 (Partial): Federal census records only exist for Grainger and Rutherford counties. However, one useful substitute is The Reconstructed 1810 Census of Tennessee: 33,000 Long-lost Records From Tax Lists, Court Minutes, Church Records, Wills, Deeds and Other Sources. Written by Charles A. Sherrill and self-published in 2001, this book compiles information from more than 60 other sources.

1820 (Partial): Eastern Tennessee counties are missing; census only exists for the 26 counties listed below

Bedford, Davidson, Dickson, Franklin, Giles, Hardin, Hickman, Humphreys, Jackson, Lawrence, Lincoln, Maury, Montgomery, Overton, Perry, Robertson, Rutherford, Shelby, Smith, Stewart, Sumner, Warren, Wayne, White, Wilson, and Williamson.

1830: First complete set of federal census records for Tennessee.

1890: The Ancestry.com database “Tennessee, Enumeration of Male Voters, 1891” can be used as a substitute for this census. This database is also available to Tennessee residents through TEL.

Gone to Texas

10/10/2019

A descendant in Texas requested help in finding Tennessee records on her ancestor, “Charles.” The last mention that she had of him was a Davidson County court record indicating that he had “conveyed” his interest in two slaves to his brother-in-law in 1836. She had records - with a later date – for his wife and children, further west, in Madison County, Tennessee.

A thorough search was done of records for Madison, Davidson and surrounding counties in Tennessee with no information found on Charles. There was some indication that his wife had moved with or near her relatives in Madison County. But where was Charles?

Another interesting entry in Davidson County, Tennessee records was a listing seven months after Charles’ transaction. A “James” with the same last name had transferred ownership of his slaves and other possessions to his wife. Were Charles and James temporarily transferring title to their property because they were leaving the state?

Since the descendant lives in Texas, a Google search was done for information on emigration of Tennesseans to Texas in the 1830’s. The results: The Republic of Texas was giving land grants of 1,280 acres to each family of settlers during the period 1836 to 1845. Such a large number of families emigrated from southern states that, according to FamilySearch: ‘If you see the letters “GTT” written in tax books and deeds, know that it stands for “Gone to Texas”!’ Anecdotes from two genealogy websites created by descendants of Texas settlers indicate that when a family was leaving to move to Texas, they wrote “GTT” on the door of the home they were leaving.

Did Charles and James go to Texas? Maybe! A search of a book on Texas Land Grants revealed Charles and James’ names (or men with the same names) with their arrival date in Texas a few months after the transactions in Tennessee, but, unfortunately, it did not list what states they had come from.

Land Records

10/9/2019

Land Records are very valuable for genealogical research, and how to use them can fill volumes. In Tennessee, understanding the history of land settlement and land grants is crucial to using the records successfully. Particularly helpful record collections include:

the Ancestry.com database “North Carolina and Tennessee, Early Land Records, 1753-1931,” available to Tennessee residents through TEL, as well as the North Carolina and Tennessee, Revolutionary War Land Warrants, 1783-1843.
Earliest Tennessee Land Records and Earliest Tennessee Land History, by Irene Griffey, and

the two volume set by Barbara, Byron and Samuel Sistler, Tennessee Land Grants.

One way land records have been valuable to TNGS researchers is in identifying which part of the state an early settler may have lived in. It is not unusual to get a request for more information on a person who was “born in Tennessee about 1820.” We tackle that by looking at early land grants and other sources to identify areas where that surname is common, and then doing further research in those counties.

For further information on early North Carolina / Tennessee land grant records available at the Tennessee State Library and Archives, click here.

Revolutionary War Bounty Land

10/8/2019

Although Tennessee is not a federal land state, meaning none of its land was owned by the federal government, some North Carolina Revolutionary War veterans received bounty land in the state. Bounty land is land the federal government set aside as a reward for those who served in the Revolutionary War as well as the War of 1812, the Mexican War, and the Indian Wars.

Modern day Tennessee was once part of western North Carolina. However, in 1784 North Carolina gave the lands back to the United States to create a military reserve. This land was to be used for land grants to North Carolina Revolutionary War veterans and their heirs. North Carolina did not use any of its own land for bounty land grants.

Revolutionary War bounty land grants and warrant records can be found in the major online genealogy databases. Remember, just because a man’s name was on a warrant does not mean he was in the war. Many grants were sold to individuals other than the veteran and there was a lot of cheating in the grant process. It is wise to search a roster of soldiers in the Revolutionary War to verify that the name on a warrant was a veteran. One such list is contained in this digitized book, Roster of Soldiers from North Carolina in the American Revolution.

Ancestry.com: North Carolina and Tennessee, Revolutionary War Land Warrants, 1783-1843